The 2026 MLB World Series between the National League's Milwaukee Brewers and the American League's Tampa Bay Rays will have a Borderland feel to it.
Former El Paso Chihuahuas manager Pat Murphy is the Brewers' manager and former New Mexico state infielder Joey Ortiz also plays for the Brew Crew.
The World Series begins on Friday, Oct. 23, at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The matchup comes after the Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Oct. 19, clinching the AL pennant.
The Brewers advanced to the World Series by dominating the defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a four-game sweep in the National League Championship Series (NLCS).
MLB World Series manager Pat Murphy
Murphy is a longtime
college baseball coach and manager. He has been with Milwaukee since 2016, first as a bench coach through 2023 and then as the team's manager since 2024.
Murphy, who grew up in Syracuse, New York, managed the El Paso Chihuahuas in 2014 and part of the 2015 season before becoming interim manager of the San Diego Padres in 2015, going 42-54.
Murphy was the first manager in El Paso Chihuahuas history. The Chihuahuas are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres and have been so since 2014.
As a college coach, Murphy led the Fighting Irish from 1988 to 1994, guiding Notre Dame to a 318-116-1 record and NCAA regional final bids from 1992 to 1994.
Murphy went on to coach at Arizona State from 1995 to 2009. He compiled a 629-284-1 record with the Sun Devils and led ASU to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances over 15 seasons.
The Sun Devils reached the College World Series in four of those seasons, including a runner-up finish in 1998. ASU also earned two NCAA Super Regional bids during Murphy’s tenure as coach.
Brewers infielder Joey Ortiz
Ortiz was a star player at New Mexico State from 2017 to 2019 and was the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2019.
Ortiz was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024 and became their starting shortstop in 2025. He spent months trying to prove he deserved that role.
The Baltimore Orioles selected Ortiz in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2023.
In three years with Milwaukee, he has been a major contributor. In 2024, he hit 11 homers, drove in 60 runs and scored 58 runs. In 2025, he hit seven homers, drove in 45 runs, and scored 62 runs. This season, he hit nine homers and scored 49 runs in the regular season.
In the 2026 postseason, he has played in six of the team's eight games and has two hits.
Milwaukee Brewers have ties to El Paso
The El Paso Diablos were theMilwaukee Brewers' Double-A affiliate from 1981 to 1999.
Bob Uecker, the Milwaukee Brewers Hall of Fame broadcaster and a baseball icon on TV and in movies for his ability to laugh at himself, came to El Paso in 1982 for an exhibition game between the minor-league El Paso Diablos and the Brewers. He played an inning as catcher and did the play-by-play.
2026 World Series schedule
The best-of-seven World Series will begin on Friday, Oct. 23, at the home park of the team with the better regular-season record. All 2026 World Series games begin at 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT and will be aired on FOX.
- Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23 at Milwaukee.
- Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24 at Milwaukee.
- Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26 at Tampa Bay.
- Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27 at Tampa Bay.
- Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 28 at Tampa Bay (if necessary).
- Game 6: Friday, Oct. 30 at Milwaukee (if necessary).
- Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 31 at Milwaukee (if necessary).
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on x
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Milwaukee Brewers bring El Paso connections to 2026 World Series
